1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dangerous area alarm system for alerting the driver of a vehicle of the presence of a dangerous area on the traveling route of the vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional dangerous area alarm systems comprise a map database apparatus, and areas (locations) at which traffic accidents frequently occur are marked as dangerous areas in the map data of the map database apparatus. When a vehicle provided with this dangerous area alarm system approaches one of the marked areas, the alarm system informs the driver that there is a dangerous area on the traveling route of the vehicle. Another type of conventional dangerous area alarm system calculates the curvature of curves on the traveling road based on topography data stored in a map database, and if the curvature is sharper than a predetermined threshold, the system informs the driver of the vehicle that there is a dangerous curve on the traveling route.
However, in these conventional dangerous area alarm systems, the running conditions of the vehicle (vehicle speed, operating amount of the steering, etc.) and the environmental conditions (weather, time, such as morning or evening, etc.) are not considered in determining whether an area is dangerous.
Therefore, for example, even if a vehicle is running at a sufficiently slow speed in an area where traffic accidents occurred due to speeding, there is a tendency for unnecessary alarms to be sent to the driver. Moreover, because traffic accident data has to be stored in advance in the alarm system, and cannot be easily updated, when the traffic accident data become outdated, there is the problem that accurate alarms cannot be given.
The object of the present invention is to provide a dangerous area alarm system which can alert drivers in accordance with a variety of information, such as the running conditions of the vehicle and the environmental conditions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dangerous area alarm system in which traffic accident data can be updated in order to prevent inaccurate alarms.
In order to achieve the above objects, the dangerous area alarm system according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a detection device which is provided in a vehicle and detects conditions of the vehicle to output vehicle data; a communication device which is provided in the vehicle and transmits the vehicle data output by the detection device; a server which is provided outside the vehicle and stores accident data regarding the conditions of vehicles involved in past accidents; a comparison device which is provided in the server and compares the vehicle data transmitted by the communication device with the accident data stored in the server; and an alarm device which issues an alarm to a driver of the vehicle when the comparison device determines that the vehicle data corresponds to the accident data.
According to this aspect, the detection device provided in a vehicle detects the conditions of the vehicle, and the communication device transmits the vehicle data to the server. The comparison device compares the vehicle data with the accident data stored in the server, and, if the vehicle data corresponds to the accident data, the alarm device issues an alarm to the driver of the vehicle. Therefore, this dangerous area alarm system alerts the driver when the present state of the vehicle is similar to the state of vehicles which were involved in accidents. Furthermore, because the server stores accident data regarding past accidents, it is easy to update the accident data.
In another aspect of the present invention, the detection device comprises a vehicle speed sensor and a present position (location) data production device. The vehicle speed sensor detects the speed of the vehicle and outputs vehicle speed data, and the present position data production device outputs present position data corresponding to the present position of the vehicle. The accident data include accident position data corresponding to positions where accidents occurred and accident vehicle speed data corresponding to speeds of vehicles involved in the accidents at the time the accidents occurred. The server comprises a vehicle condition estimating device, and the vehicle condition estimating device estimates the vehicle speed at the time the vehicle will arrive at (pass) the positions indicated by the accident position data based on the vehicle speed data and the present position data included in the vehicle data transmitted by the communication device. The comparison device compares the accident vehicle speed indicated by the accident vehicle data and the vehicle speed estimated by the vehicle condition estimating device. The alarm device issues an alarm to the driver if the vehicle speed estimated by the vehicle condition estimating device is equal to or higher than the accident vehicle speed. Therefore, it is possible to alert the driver in accordance with the present vehicle speed.
In another aspect of the present invention, the accident data further include accident running state data corresponding to running states of vehicles involved in past accidents. The detection device further comprises at least one of an accelerator sensor, a brake sensor, and a steering sensor. The vehicle condition estimating device estimates vehicle running states of the vehicle at the time the vehicle will pass position indicated by the accident position data based on outputs of the detection device. The comparison device compares the vehicle running states estimated by the vehicle condition estimating device with the accident running states indicated by the accident running state data, and the alarm device issues an alarm when the vehicle running states estimated by the vehicle condition estimating device correspond to the accident running states indicated by the accident running state data. Therefore, it is possible to alert the driver in accordance with the driver""s operations of the accelerator, the brake, and/or the steering.
Another aspect of the present invention comprises a camera which takes images from around the vehicle and produces image data. The accident data further include at least one of accident weather data, which correspond to the weather at the time the past accidents occurred, and accident time data, which correspond to the time at which the past accidents occurred. The detection device comprises at least one of a weather discriminating device and a time data production device. This weather discriminating device discriminates or evaluates the weather at the location of the vehicle based on the image data output by the camera. The time data production device produces present time data corresponding to the present time based on the image data output by the camera. The comparison device performs at least one of a comparison of the accident weather data with the present weather data output by the weather discriminating device, and a comparison of the accident time data with the present time data output by the time data production device. Therefore, it is possible to alert the driver in consideration of the present time and/or the present weather.
In another aspect of the present invention, the accident data further include accident physical condition data corresponding to physical conditions of drivers of vehicles involved in past accidents. The detection device comprises at least one of a heart rate sensor, which detects heart rate of the driver of the vehicle, and a body temperature sensor, which detects body temperature of the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle condition estimating device estimates physical conditions of the driver at the time the vehicle will pass positions indicated by the accident position data based on outputs of the heart rate sensor and/or the body temperature sensor. The comparison device compares the physical conditions estimated by the vehicle condition estimating device with the accident physical conditions indicated by the accident physical condition data. The alarm device issues an alarm if the physical conditions estimated by the vehicle condition estimating device correspond to the accident physical conditions indicated by the accident physical condition data. According to this aspect, it is possible to alert the driver in consideration of the physical conditions of the driver.
Another aspect of the dangerous area alarm system comprises a navigation device which calculates a traveling route from the present position to a destination; a server which is provided outside the vehicle and stores accident data regarding conditions of vehicles involved in past accidents, and wherein the server comprises an extraction device which searches accident data corresponding to the traveling route from the accident data stored in the server, and a transmitting device which transmits the accident data extracted by the extraction device; a receiving device which is provided in the vehicle and receives the accident data transmitted by the transmitting device; a detection device which is provided in a vehicle and detects conditions of the vehicle to output vehicle data; a comparison device which is provided in the vehicle and compares the vehicle data output by the detection device with the accident data received by the receiving device; and an alarm device which issues an alarm to a driver of the vehicle when the comparison device determines that the vehicle data corresponds to the accident data.
According to this aspect, first, the navigation device calculates a traveling route from the present position to a destination. The traveling route data is transmitted to the extraction device, and the extraction device searches the accident data stored in the server for accident data corresponding to the traveling route. The transmitting device transmits the selected accident data, and the receiving device in the vehicle receives the selected accident data. The detection device detects conditions of the vehicle to output vehicle data, and the comparison device compares the vehicle data with the selected accident data. Then, if the vehicle data corresponds to the accident data, the alarm device issues an alarm to a driver of the vehicle. In this case, because the selected accident data are transmitted to the vehicle in advance, the alarm system can operate even when the vehicle is running in an area where radio communication cannot be made between the vehicle and the server.